Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s liberal policy proposals - which would reportedly total up to $48 trillion - would ultimately be paid for by the middle class, according to Rachel Bovard, a conservative policy analyst.
“It’s a known thing that the middle class is going to pick up the tab for Elizabeth Warren’s plans,” said Bovard, the Conservative Partnership Institute's senior director of policy, Thursday on “Fox & Friends.”
The leading Democratic presidential contender announced Wednesday a plan to spend at least $1 trillion – of her $3 trillion climate plan – to help communities hit hard by industrial pollution, particularly low-income areas and communities of color.
VIDEO APPEARS TO CONTRADICT WARREN'S SUGGESTION THAT SCHOOL FIRED HER OVER PREGNANCY
Warren's announcement came in a campaign video posted to Twitter, which shows the Massachusetts senator visiting a neighborhood in southwest Detroit, often referred to as the most polluted area in Michigan, alongside Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who represents the district. In the clip, Warren speaks to community members about residents who have been diagnosed with cancer linked to exposure to toxins after years of living in the shadow of a massive oil refinery.
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The plan, which has been posted to her website, builds upon policies covering everything from affordable housing to green manufacturing to clean energy. She stresses the need to build “strong, resilient communities” by doing more than just “cleaning up polluted neighborhoods and tweaking a few regulations at the EPA.”
Bovard cited an estimate by the Manhattan Institute's Brian Riedl, who claimed that the aggregate cost of Warren’s plans would be $38-48 trillion and would require a middle-class tax since a wealth tax would not be able to pay for it all. The most expensive of Warren's proposals is a 'Medicare-for-all' health care system,which she has promised will cover all Americans.
“If you just do the math, even with a wealth tax, you’re only raising a fifth of what her aggregate policy proposals will cost,” Bovard said.
Bovard said Warren has refused to answer questions about how the plans will be funded, including in a recent interview with "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert.
Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.